Ally McCoist’s incredibly poor comments before Glasgow Derby
Recent remarks made by Ally McCoist on TalkSport have sparked grave worries and have a detrimental effect on the situation of Scottish football at the moment.
McCoist, who gets paid to repeat phrases over and over while providing commentary for TNT Sport, appears to have encouraged inappropriate behaviour coming from the Ibrox stands. He has also used his national platform to criticise new anti-hate laws in Scotland, which he believes restrict his ability to freely express hate.
McCoist has picked this Sunday’s crucial Celtic game at Ibrox as an opportunity to condemn the new hate legislation, which he refers to as “madness.” “I can assure you, next Sunday at Ibrox, I, along with 48,000 others will be committing a breach of that hate bill in the specific Rangers vs. Celtic game we are all going to,” he declared audaciously.
Threats or abusive behaviour directed at inspiring hatred against protected characteristics—such as age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity, and variations in sex characteristics—was the reason behind the introduction of this act. One wonders what McCoist intends to specifically encourage others to chant in light of his words. Before this hate crime was introduced, the things that are typically chanted were already well beyond what is allowed.
Given the new laws, it is troubling that a person of McCoist’s calibre would appear to be inciting people to participate in behaviour that is categorically hateful.
People in McCoist’s position should be doing more to alleviate the long-standing problems in Scottish football, not adding to them. They are powerful. McCoist and others with comparable platforms must take greater responsibility in their criticism.
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